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Mastering Data Visualization with Microsoft Visio Professional 2016
Mastering Data Visualization with Microsoft Visio Professional 2016

Mastering Data Visualization with Microsoft Visio Professional 2016: Master the art of presenting information visually using Microsoft Visio Professional 2016 and Visio Pro for Office365

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Mastering Data Visualization with Microsoft Visio Professional 2016

Chapter 2. Understanding How Data Is Stored within Visio

A Visio user may choose to create a drawing from one of the many Microsoft templates, or even from a custom one. In each case, the user sees that a Visio document can have many pages. Each page can contain many shapes. The Visio user interface normally presents many shapes on stencils that the user can drag and drop onto a page. A user may also use the drawing tools to draw rectangles, ellipses, lines, or just add text. The user may use the ribbon buttons to add containers, callouts or connectors.

Data can be stored in Visio in many ways, and the developer chooses the way according to the needs of the usage scenario. This chapter will describe the important parts of the rich Visio object model so that a power user who writes macros, or a developer who writes add-ins, will know how to navigate around the various elements. It will also describe the important sections of the programmable ShapeSheet that is behind every shape...

A very quick introduction to data in Visio

There are many templates and tools within Visio that either import or export data.

The following diagram shows the various data sources or targets listed vertically in the center. The Visio features that can import data are on the left-hand side, and the features that export are on the right. There are many features that use data, but the most relevant features and data sources are enhanced with a thicker outline:

A very quick introduction to data in Visio

I have omitted SharePoint workflows from this diagram because it is so specialized.

Most of these features utilize the Shape Data capability of Visio shapes, pages, and documents. The following table lists the Visio features that import values into Shape Data rows:

A very quick introduction to data in Visio

Note

SQL Server stored procedures can also be used as a data source in code in addition to the tables and views that are accessible from...

Understanding the Visio object model

An object model defines how the various objects and collections relate to each other, and their properties, methods, and events. Knowing how to navigate around it is essential for writing quick code in VBA, or more capable code for an add-in or add-on.

Starting with the Application object

The top-level object is the Visio Application object itself. This object contains a collection of documents that are currently open.

Note

Actually, there is also the InvisibleApp object, which a developer can use to interact with a diagram without the Visio application interface appearing on the screen.

Templates, drawings, and stencils are all types of Visio documents, although the user only sees stencils on the panels of shapes on the left of the drawing page. A drawing is usually created from a template document. However, a drawing can also be created from any existing drawing.

A drawing document consists of a collection of pages, each of which can contain a collection...

Getting to grips with the ShapeSheet

Every document, page, and shape has a ShapeSheet that contains a number of sections, rows, and cells. Cells contain formulas that produce a resultant value.

The document ShapeSheet is known as the DocumentSheet in the object model, but it can be referenced as TheDoc in a cell formula. Similarly, the page ShapeSheet is known as PageSheet in the object model, but it is referred to as ThePage in cell formulas.

There are a lot of mandatory sections in the ShapeSheet, and some of them do not even have their own enumerator in visSectionIndices. Instead, they come under visSectionIndices.visSectionObject. In fact, there are 38 shown on the View Sections dialog, but with only 24 section constants:

Getting to grips with the ShapeSheet

It is more efficient to reference a cell by its SRC (Section, Row, Cell) values than by its name. However, there are times when using the name is unavoidable.

If the ShapeSheet is open in the UI, then you can easily find the name of a cell by clicking in the cell, placing...

The Visio file format

Since the 2013 edition, Visio files are Open Packaging Convention compliant, which means that most of the contents are accessible for programmers using some standard techniques. This means that package parts can be more easily extracted, and even modified, without recourse to the Visio type library. Before the 2013 version, Visio files were either binary or monolithic XML files (which were approximately 10 times the size of the binary files). Now that Visio files are zipped-up XML packages, there is greater scope for extensibility. For example, the Visio Web Access control in SharePoint 2010 used XAML to render the graphics on a layer over the top of the Visio binary file. The files had to be published as Visio Web Drawings (*.vdw) to be used, and only the linked Data Graphics content was automatically refreshable. Since the 2013 version, native Visio files are rendered in the Visio Web Access control without needing Silverlight, and any shape cell that is referenced...

Knowing how shapes relate in structured diagrams

The Insert | Diagram Parts tab in the Visio interface provides the ability to add a Container, Callout, or Connector diagram part to a page, as shown in the following screenshot (these are the main parts of a structured diagram):

Knowing how shapes relate in structured diagrams

However, there are also other shapes available from various stencils that exhibit the same behavior. There is also a special type of container called List that can contain ordered items. There are several Microsoft-supplied shapes that are lists, including the UML Class | Class master shape, which is used in the following example. This List shape accepts other specific list item shapes.

This following screenshot contains all of the elements of a structured diagram, namely connections, containers, lists, and callouts:

Knowing how shapes relate in structured diagrams

Everything but the two incoming connections at the top left of the screenshot are selected in order to limit the number of items under consideration in the following paragraphs.

Notice that the container...

A very quick introduction to data in Visio


There are many templates and tools within Visio that either import or export data.

The following diagram shows the various data sources or targets listed vertically in the center. The Visio features that can import data are on the left-hand side, and the features that export are on the right. There are many features that use data, but the most relevant features and data sources are enhanced with a thicker outline:

I have omitted SharePoint workflows from this diagram because it is so specialized.

Most of these features utilize the Shape Data capability of Visio shapes, pages, and documents. The following table lists the Visio features that import values into Shape Data rows:

Note

SQL Server stored procedures can also be used as a data source in code in addition to the tables and views that are accessible from the...

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Key benefits

  • A complete guide to data visualization with Microsoft Visio Professional 2016
  • Visualize information to meet the needs of your business
  • Get the quick way to learn Microsoft Visio 2016

Description

Microsoft Visio Professional is a data visualization application that is used by many different market sectors and many different departments to represent information visually, from network infrastructure to organization charts, from process diagrams to office layouts. Starting off with a brief introduction to Visio Professional 2016 and then moving on to data storage, linking data to shapes, and working with SQL Server to create a solid foundation. Then we’ll cover topics such as refreshing data, working with geographical data, working with various graphics, and diagrams, and more. Finally, you’ll find out how to deploy custom stencils, templates, and code.

Who is this book for?

This book is aimed at the departmental-level business intelligence professional or Microsoft Office power-user who wants to create data diagrams with Microsoft Visio that can accurately represent business information visually.

What you will learn

  • Add external data from a variety of data sources
  • Represent information with data graphics
  • Create custom data-like shapes
  • Export data from structured diagrams
  • Present information graphics to non-Visio users
  • Automate visualizations from data
  • Develop custom templates and code for others

Product Details

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Publication date, Length, Edition, Language, ISBN-13
Publication date : May 27, 2016
Length: 334 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781785882661
Vendor :
Microsoft
Category :

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Product Details

Publication date : May 27, 2016
Length: 334 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781785882661
Vendor :
Microsoft
Category :

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Table of Contents

12 Chapters
1. Data within Visio Essentials Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
2. Understanding How Data Is Stored within Visio Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
3. Linking Data to Shapes Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
4. Using the Built-In Data Graphics Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
5. Using the Pivot Diagram Add-On Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
6. Creating Custom Master Shapes Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
7. Creating Custom Data Graphics Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
8. Validating and Extracting Information Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
9. Automating Structured Diagrams Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
10. Sharing Data Diagrams Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
11. Choosing a Deployment Methodology Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Index Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Customer reviews

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Rating distribution
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Half star icon 4.2
(6 Ratings)
5 star 66.7%
4 star 16.7%
3 star 0%
2 star 0%
1 star 16.7%
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Michael Krispin Sep 19, 2019
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
I bought it to understand better how use Visio also in a process automation environment as HMI
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Campbell S. Rankine Jul 30, 2020
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
It is the most thorough treatise on Visio.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Amazon Customer May 17, 2018
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
David Parker is the Guru of MS Visio, and his book is probably best source of MS Visio related knowledge you can find. Excellent book, good writting style, usable examples. Hope he'll write some new book soon.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
KE Jan 25, 2017
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
Its very good book
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Amazon Customer Oct 14, 2019
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Empty star icon 4
To learn new methods for my career. As far as I can tell this is a very in-depth look at what you need to make visually appealing presentations of the contents of your data.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
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